DATE: Wednesday, February 26, 1997          TAG: 9702260670

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: HAMPTON                           LENGTH:   47 lines

CURRY AND HAMPTON HAVE TOO MUCH SPEED FOR KEMPSVILLE

Kempsville can file this one under ``Be careful what you wish for.''

The Chiefs, who longed to play uptempo in the walk-it-up Beach District, got stunned early by run-and-shoot Hampton and fell 74-64 in an Eastern Region boys basketball quarterfinal Tuesday night at Hampton.

Kempsville committed 15 first-half turnovers against the gambling, aggressive Crabbers and was unable to mount a consistent offense until the second half, when it switched to a more athletic lineup. The Chiefs rallied valiantly before being denied by the magnificent Ronald Curry (23 points, 10 rebounds).

``We prepared for the type of style they play,'' Kempsville coach Vernon King said. ``But you can't simulate Curry.''

Hampton (21-3), winner of 14 in a row, will meet Indian River at 6 p.m. in the regional semifinals Thursday at Churchland High School.

Kempsville (18-7) lost for the first time in eight games.

Curry's 3-pointer from the left wing with 5:20 remaining ignited an 8-2 Hampton run that snuffed out Kempsville for good.

The Chiefs, who trailed by as many as 13 in the third quarter, had pulled to within three at 53-50 before Curry's bomb.

``You let down your concentration for a minute against a team like this and it's boom, boom, boom, they're back up 10,'' King said.

Curry opened the game with a jumper, a 3-pointer, a steal and a dunk to give the Crabbers a 7-0 lead. During that span, the Chiefs turned the ball over three times.

``We came out a little too timid,'' Kempsville guard Bernard Staples said. ``Give all the credit to Hampton, but if we'd come out early the way we played in the second half, I think we would have won.''

After scoring only 22 points in the first half, the Chiefs ran up 22 in the third quarter alone. A turning point came near the two-minute mark, when King pulled 6-11 center Brian Bersticker (three points) and turned Staples, McKinley Ford, Rayshawn Mitchell, Trey Simkins and Levar Wright loose.

The move triggered a 12-2 Kempsville run until Curry's 3-pointer stemmed the tide.

Ford led Kempsville with 18 points, Staples added 16 and Michell scored 10. ILLUSTRATION: IAN MARTIN/The Virginian-Pilot

Kempsville's Bernard Staples blocks a shot by Hampton's Chris Weeks

during Tuesday night's Eastern Region playoff game at Hampton. The

Crabbers, behind Ronald Curry's 23 points, raced to a 74-64 victory.

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